Trypanophobia
by starlitkoneko
Summary: Yami Yuugi has finally obtained his own body, but years of living without say over what happens to your vessel can make even a great Pharaoh co-dependent.  Clashshipping for a kinkmeme prompt.  Rated high, just in case.
1. Chapter 1

_**Attention readers:** View the deviantart version for in-depth author's notes._  
><em>http:starlit-kaulitz .deviantart .com/art/Trypanophobia-Ch-1-259515822_  
><em>^ without the spaces<em>

When Yami first acquired his own body, Yuugi was ecstatic. When Yami first ventured out on his own without his _Aibou_ by his side, Yuugi was completely supportive. When Yami stopped telling his partner every little detail of his life, Yuugi held back the feeling of rejection in favour of respecting the ex-pharaoh's right to privacy. No longer sharing a body meant no longer sharing thoughts, after all.

When Yami started spending more time out 'by himself', Yuugi got curious. When Yami became secretive about his actions, Yuugi grew suspicious. When Yami stopped coming home every night, Yuugi grew resentful.

At one time, their bond had been stronger than the chain the small teen so proudly, adoringly, obsessively and obediently wore around his neck. At one time, Yuugi had thought being able to see, touch and interact with the ancient spirit would only strengthen that bond. As time passed, however, their connection had only dwindled; slowly at first then, fueled by the secretive actions of the older male, alarmingly fast. There was almost no hope left for it now.

~~~  
><em>{For identity's sake, Yami will herein be addressed by his true name.}<em>

Atemu gasped as he was thrown against the wall of the Game Shop. A cloaked figure encompassed his smaller frame and all that could be seen of his companion was a mess of blonde hair that somehow defied gravity even when weighed down by rain. The would-be pharaoh arched his back as a tanned, gold-adorned arm snaked its way around his torso, holding him possessively. Fierce nips were placed along his exposed shoulders then a skilled tongue lifted the latch of his collar before sharp teeth gripped the leather and pulled it undone.

"Mariku," Atemu whispered, a stern growl quickly swept away by a gasp as his exposed neck was attacked by a sinful mouth. Words danced on Atemu's tongue but none of them found their way through his lips; his mind was clouded by lust and the swipes of Mariku's tongue seemed to guide his blood flow strictly to his cheeks and groin. "Ma…"

Thunder clapped in time to mask the moan that ripped from the young man's throat as sharp teeth sunk into tender flesh. Atemu bucked his hips, crashing his none-too-subtle erection against his boyfriend's thigh. He hissed a string of curses under his breath in whatever languages seemed to fit, electing a dark chuckle from the other. Mariku made quick work of bruising the smaller's neck before finally pulling away and fixing strange, pale eyes on much, much darker ones.

"It's a good thing it's raining," the tanned male taunted, leaning in to lick his companion's cheek. Atemu winced, knowing the taste would reveal how badly he'd perspired. The feel of the warm muscle on his face made his groin ache, as he knew all too well what that tongue was capable of.

Lightning flashed behind the taller male as a grin spread across his face; the brief illumination somehow managing to make him look even crazier than usual. Atemu quietly buckled his collar and glanced at his shoulder before sighing.

"The rain won't cover that, you know," he commented, trying and failing to adjust his sleeve to hide the marks. Mariku shrugged.

"You're the one who wants to keep our endeavours a secret."

Atemu flinched, glaring at the other before turning on his heel and heading around to the front of the Game Shop. Mariku knew he wasn't allowed anywhere he might be seen, so his boyfriend's intentions were loud and clear. Without another word, the cloaked figure disappeared into the night.

Atemu sighed and eased the door open, thankful that the lights inside were off. Carefully, he entered the building and ensured the door was locked behind him. His stomach was less subtle in its reminder that he hadn't nourished himself in a few hours and he cursed under his breath again. With certain body parts calming down, maneuvering gracefully in skin-tight leather pants proved challenging (for once) and Atemu found himself hesitating a moment before attempting to ascend the stairs.

He approached his shared bedroom with caution, keeping a protective hand on his bruised shoulder and doing his best to scope out the room without looking unnatural. Yuugi was nowhere in sight. Atemu sighed and let his arm rest, moving quickly to his dresser and pulling out the first thing with proper sleeves that he found. He briefly considered changing on the spot, but a drip of water from his bangs reminded him of the inevitable damage done to his hair by the rain. Taking no risks, he draped the t-shirt around his neck like a loose scarf before heading toward the bathroom.

The door was always kept shut, so the ex-pharaoh had no way of knowing whether the room was occupied unless he knocked. Forgetting this detail, he grabbed the handle and entered the tiled room without warning. Thankfully, it was empty. He secured the lock behind him and let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, then started the shower and began to undress.

Yami put the t-shirt on as soon as his torso was dry. He covered his lower half with one towel and tightly secured his hair in another then made for the door. Fortunately, the mirror caught his eye on his way out and he bore his teeth. The bruises on his shoulder were light enough, but the one on his neck was going to last for days. With no other option, he slipped his collar on and secured the buckle.

Yuugi's room… well, there wasn't much point in calling it _their_ room anymore… was still vacant when Atemu returned. However, he noticed a few inanimate objects had changed their positions, meaning someone (or something) had come and gone during his shower. The young adult gave it nary a thought and instead focused his attention on finding something to clothe his bottom. He slipped on a pair of loose, silk boxers and grey sweatpants, opting for rarely-sought comfort. He discarded the first towel and undid the tightly knotted second one, freeing his hair to cascade around his shoulders. He'd only cut it a few times since earning a tangible body, and it'd gained enough length to distort its usual starfish shape. When dry, it hung in a wavy remnant of that form; damp, it spilled down in loose curls that tickled his collarbone at the tips.

Atemu ran the towel vigorously over his head, clipping his ear at one point and hissing in response to the pain. With everything else on his mind, he'd forgotten about the burning sensation that'd plagued his lobes for the latter portion of that day.

Atemu sat on the bed with a hand over the affected ear; that was when Yuugi walked in. The teen seemed startled by his roommate's presence, but the emotion passed quickly and he returned to the cold indifference that the elder male had reluctantly become familiar with.

"You actually came home."

"You're still calling it that?" Atemu mused. Yuugi scoffed.

"Why shouldn't I? It is my home."

Atemu sighed, dropping his hand into his lap. "Yuugi, I…"

"Don't try to reason with me!" Yuugi spun around quickly. The fire in his eyes was sparked by what he saw. "What did you… what is _that_?"

Atemu winced, needing no elaboration. "What does it look like?"

"Turn your head," Yuugi demanded. Atemu complied, and the smaller male scoffed in disgust. "You pierced your ears. Both of them."

Atemu opened his mouth to counter, but closed it without arguing. He knew why Yuugi was upset, and he knew it was justified. He leaned back on his arms, attempting to look casual.

"I thought it was time for a change."

Yuugi's eyes narrowed into a stare of disapproval that burned holes in his ex-dark half's beating heart. Atemu couldn't take it. He looked away; when he did, they felt the doomed string of hope snap.


	2. Chapter 2

"Of course he was angry!" Mariku laughed. Atemu, who'd been lying in his lap, sat up and glared. Mariku only grinned. "What do you want me to say? I'm no expert in making my light happy."

Atemu scoffed. Mariku leaned over and licked the cusp of his partner's ear. Atemu's eyes widened and an angry blush crossed his face.

"Don't DO that!" he demanded, covering his ear and moving further away. Mariku chuckled.

"I can't help it. It's been three days, surely they're healed by now?"

"It takes longer than that, and you know it," Atemu growled. He wasn't done venting about Yuugi, but communication had never been his significant other's strong point.

"Sure I do," Mariku replied carelessly. "Oh! Do you know what else takes a long time to heal?"

"Bruises," Atemu retorted with a glare. Mariku's lips peeled back in a grin.

"Don't tempt me," the blonde warned, getting up and looming over the other even more so than usual. "But, no. I was actually thinking about scars."

Crimson-violet eyes flashed. "Don't even think about it."

Mariku raised his eyebrows and burst into laughter. "You think you can tell me what not to do? You're not the pharaoh anymore, Atemu."

The addressed male flinched as the comment struck his pride. "Somehow I doubt you'd have obeyed my word even then."

A dark laugh rolled out of the taller male; a sound unlike anything a human should be able to make. "How right you are."

Mariku leaned over slowly and offered the other a rare, soft kiss. When they parted, Atemu was very clearly on edge, preparing for whatever rebuttal that was sure to come. Mariku purred out his inhuman laugh again and ran a hand through plush, tri-coloured hair. Atemu turned away as a familiar tongue slithered along his jawline and circled around his still-fresh piercing. He emitted an embarrassingly submissive whine as his only form of plea to leave the area alone. Judging by the way his partner trembled and attacked his mouth, the message got across. That, or breaking him was just another of his sick fetishes, which was more likely. Either way, they were locked in a heated make-out session which Atemu was doomed to lose, but that didn't stop him from battling a tongue both longer and stronger than his own.

Mariku chuckled into the salivating conflict that could hardly be called a kiss, and Atemu felt his face grow warm in response. He knew he could never match the other's oral talents, but he didn't need to be reminded that the snakelike way his partner's tongue constricted his was effortless enough to be laughed at. No sooner than he broke away did Mariku swiftly scoop his companion up, turn on his heel, and plop down onto the old couch with the other planted in his lap. Atemu fought the blush that came to surface whenever their size difference disadvantaged him and cried out as his shoulder was attacked.

Mariku held tightly to his prey, marking the flesh so foolishly left exposed. Atemu squirmed despite knowing it'd only worsen his situation, and Mariku purred darkly against his skin. The smaller could only gasp as he felt his pants grow tighter.

The blonde release his grip the abused shoulder which now sported a mark as dark as the one on his neck had been three days prior. Atemu groaned as the air hit the spot, still wet with saliva; the combination offering a slight chill to the otherwise burning sensation. Mariku kept one arm his waist and moved the other in favour of running a finger down prominent shoulder blades.

"Right here," he whispered, "Yes… that will do nicely."

"What are you going on about?" Atemu breathed, failing to threaten as he'd intended.

"Your next mark," Mariku replied plain as day. "It will go right here."

Atemu chuckled. "Even you might have a hard time biting me there."

"I wasn't talking about hickeys," Mariku chided, "you're going to get a tattoo."

"A _what_?" Atemu attempted to spin around, managing only to rotate sideways but it was enough to look the other in the eyes. Mariku offered a peeling grin.

"You heard me," pale eyes returned to the shoulder, "I'm thinking of the _Hunab Ku_."

"The union of opposite forces?" Atemu felt a smirk play at his lips. "Isn't that a bit too literal?"

Mariku regarded him with genuine consideration. "Perhaps you're right. A lotus flower, then?"

"The symbol of rebirth," Atemu mused. Truthfully, he liked it, and Mariku could tell. With a victorious grin, the blonde rose to his feet and set his boyfriend beside him.

"It's decided then. Let's go."

Atemu's eyebrows disappeared into his bangs. "Right _now_? My ear isn't even healed yet!"

Mariku rolled his eyes, "you're three thousand years old. If your body can survive _that_, I doubt modifying it too quickly will make a dent."

Atemu tried and failed to keep a smirk from breaking his stare. Mariku leaned in for a quick kiss before grabbing the other by the wrist and heading for the door.

Atemu told himself not to go through with it. He would go as far as he needed before Mariku turned around and announced that he'd changed his mind, or that it was all a trick, then they'd go back to the poorly-furnished apartment the blonde called home and fuck like rabbits until he passed out.

That didn't happen. Unaware of the smaller's thought process, Mariku pressed on. They walked until they reached a more popular shopping strip, and the knot in Atemu's stomach grew tighter. At one point, the pain became physical, stopping the ex-pharaoh in his tracks. Mariku looked back to see him clenching his midsection and approached him cautiously. Atemu hadn't set many obeyable rules in the relationship, but Mariku had agreed to keep it secret and that meant no physical contact in public.

"Are you alright?" the darker of the two asked quietly. Psycho or not, there were feelings inside of him, somewhere, though they rarely surfaced.

Atemu only groaned in response, forcing himself to stand straight so they didn't make a scene; at least, not more of one than two males looking as they did walking together. He stared at the other a moment before giving an exasperated sigh.

"You're really making me go through with this?"

"Of course I am," Mariku drew back in surprise. "You thought I was joking?"

"Well, yes," Atemu cast his glance aside. "You know I'm no good with needles."

"I know," the response was sadistic. Mariku leaned in to flick his tongue over Atemu's ear and whispered huskily, "I heard you scream."

Atemu blushed and shoved the taller male away, looking around furiously to ensure they weren't being watched. A dark laugh worked its way up from deep inside Mariku and he turned to continue on his way.

Atemu followed reluctantly, keeping twice the distance away from his partner than before. Occasionally Mariku cast a glance back to ensure the smaller male hadn't ducked away and each time Atemu snidely averted his gaze. Mariku would chuckle, content to know he was still being followed, and fix his eyes on the stores ahead once more.

"Here it is," he said at last, having stopped in front of a tacky red building with painted windows. Atemu grimaced and gave one final pleading look at the taller.

"This isn't where we went last time."

"That's because this place is better," Mariku announced triumphantly. He then shrugged and pulled the door open, "at least, that's what I was told. In you go."

"What you…" Atemu began, but a firm hand on his back gave him the shove he needed to step forward and trip over the lip at the entrance. With an audible swish of his cape, Mariku swung to his side, hooked a tanned arm around his chest and broke his fall. Atemu only grumbled in response.

"That was quite the entrance," a young woman remarked. Her hair was short and jagged, dyed black with a single violet stripe, her face was filled with metal rings and her arms and neck were covered in tattoos. She stepped out from behind the counter revealing the bottom of her corseted top which stopped short of her hips and gave a preview of even more inked flesh. "What are you here for?"

Atemu snaked out of Mariku's grip and glared at the blonde. Mariku grinned and pointed.

"He's getting a tattoo."


End file.
